The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-09-11
MEMPHIS DAILY APPEAI--sUNDAY. SEPTEMBER H. 1857.

a corresponding decrease In the cost
OF criminal prosecuti oDs, and pscks up
bis judgment with the statement thst
while the amount paid for prosecn-
tons was SlS6, 900, It is proper to credit
1t with 100000 received Tor c}nvict
labor. On the contrary, be leans to
the view thsl the adoption OF the pro.
posed prohibition amendment will add
largely to the cost OF criminal prosecu'
tiens by the expense OF enforcement.
she cites the fact tina. It cost the
United States Government $loOOOO to
prohibit the Illicit sale and manufacture
Of liquor in this State. II NAV be re-
NAKED here Ii a. II State prohibition
does not prohibit to any greater extent
than Uncle Sam has prohibited toe
moonshiners Il will be signal failure.
Taken altogether, the treasury makes
a strong showing from money, II not
from y moral standpoint,
Now, il 10 evident that prohibition
does present q very preposseseing
front when it insures failure oil the
State to meet the interest on the pub
lie debt. Certainly one material in
terest is crippled. It's adoption, how
ever, inevitably increases the public
debt. / want TO know, sir lturning
TO Mr.. Thomss) II you intend to pay
the distilers and dealers In manufact.
ures for their plants, the estimated
cost OF which is not less than N,OOO,-
600. Will you settle with them hon
ca ly and fairly, or will you rob them
OF their money Ia the same msnner
you rob the citizen Of his liberty II
these people who pretend to be asi.
tating a great moral issue b, honest
they will pay for these plants, ana
thus your public debt win swell from
$l7 200, 900 to $24,0O0,000.
call your attention to another
item, namely, the loss OF trade to the
merchants OF Tennessee. i find from
q iabulated statement, which l hold In
m7 hand, prepared by the Merchants
Exchange, OF Memphis, for the Inter.
state Commission, that the export
trade Of that city per annum on
Liquors, actually shipped from there,
amounts TO 81, 091, 4i0. l am inf irmed
by the secretary oil the Exchange, and
by our Wholesale merchants, that
there 10 az much more shipped by our
merchants direct from bonded ware.
houses which Is not included In the
shove. Thus We see thai the Mem.
phis merchants receive annually on
thsir export liquor trade the SUN OF
So ls2, $50. Nashville, doing about
three times the business OF Memphis
in this line, muet recsive three times
as much, namely. 36,64S,840. The
rost OF the State, am told, does AZ
much business in this line as these
two cities, therefore the receipts TO
merchants OF the State must be:
Memphis ,lR,Ap
NashVille ofe'o'o
Total. ..............' .''.... lS'no
Rest oil e''Slfso
Grand total. ................. Oh ,.6S, $40
Thus you observe prohibition de.
privaa our merchants Of an export
trade amounting TO the handsome
sum OF Sl7, 463, 440 per year-certainly
another one of the material resources.
Please bear In mind that each OF these
items lessons the wealth OF the State,
and therefore In equal proportion In.
creases the taxation. 1 might con.
tlnue the list in detail, but neither my
time nor strength will admit OF II.
Gan you, my fellow citlzsns, afford to
assume tuch burdens simply for tie
pleasure Of giving trial to faua.i-
cism which has proven failure
wherever tried. II prohibition
prohibited there might be some
shadow OF excuse for II, bat
since the only reliable authorities
show that IL does not, there can be-
none. Why, here this internal revenue
report for the fiscal year endlog July
| 81, 1887, shows that prohibition Iowa
pays for whisky 1888 sos 81 more than
Tennessee 10 the Federal Government
proof conclusive that she urea more
whsky.
The prohibition orators declare that
whisky begets insanity, idiocy, dc.
formity and psuperism when used 10
excess, all Of which is probably true.
Then, II We should find some Stats
where there is no whisky, these evils
should not exist. According 30 their
theory Maine ought 10 be snoh q State.
She has been under prohibition forty.
elk years. What do We dnd there &C.
cordins 10 the United States Census
Report All these evils existing TO a
greater extent la proportion TO popu.
lation than in any State In the Union.
Why, Maine has one pauper n every
202 inhabitants; Tennessee has one
pSupsr 10 every 1905 inhabitants.
This proves tnAt there 10 moro whisky
consumed In prohibition Maine than
In Tennessee. Maine has had forty.
one enActments 10 enforce prohibition,
and now c ines Sr. Dow, the father
OF tho measure, and says, prohibition
will po' prohibit absolutely until pub.
lie sentiment IL built up In its favor"
Just got back 10 the starting point.
PublIc sentiment Moral huasion |
The law has failed 10 make men tenn.
perAle. Why, hold here List Of
names Of twenty-five men who
are today running open saloons
In Portland, Me-, who have
made money enough TO havo q
commercial rating, for took
them from the reference book Of
Dunn's commercial agency. 1 know
not how many men are running dives
who have no rating. Take these matters
Toto consideration, together with the
fac that the mercantile agencies show
that failures have steadily increased 10
X ansas and Iowa since those States
adopted prohibition, and that they
have steadily decreased In Missouri
and other non. prohibitory States, and
you will have ample food for refiec.
ton, and good aud sufficient reasont
for voting against this pernicious
measure, which promises nothing OF
good aud much OF evil. In this con.
neclion II 10 q significant fact that, Of
the fourteen States adopting prohibi.
tory laws, eleven States, after q fair
trial, repeal thom.
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